There are available large amounts of scrap thermoplastic resinous materials for which there is currently no major usage. Such resinous materials represent a potentially valuable resource but because there has not been a practical way of utilizing such materials, the materials have provided a storage problem and a disposal problem for the various manufacturing concerns which generate them.
One source of non-recycleable thermoplastic materials is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene scrap. This material is commonly referred to as ABS plastic. Various components are fabricated of ABS plastic for automobile use. These components are normally coated to give the appearance of a metallic finish.
Scrap pieces occurring during manufacture are normally shredded and stored adjacent the manufacturing facility or elsewhere. Large piles of such material are in existence adjacent various manufacturing facilities. This material, although relatively pure with reference to the plastic content, cannot be recycled because of the presence of the metallic coating thereon.
Another source of non-recyceable thermoplastic material is vinyl. Vinyl is widely used in the automotive industry for manufacturing seat covers. Such seat covers are formed in a continuous basis with a throw-away segment connecting adjacent seat covers after initial manufacture. This throw-away portion is clipped from the seat covers before the seat covers are formed into the final usage configuration. Large amounts of such vinyl scrap are readily available.
The present invention contemplates utilization of these materials in conjunction with the manufacture of novel plastic articles of the type utilized, for example, in floor and highway markings, industrial flooring for the support of heavy machinery and vehicle traffic, replacements for asphalt block (which is conventionally 1-1/2".times.8".times.12"), odd-sized patio stones, and the like. As above stated, one usage for such surface blocks is in connection with marking of floors and highways. Currently, road markings are placed on highways by means of paint. Center stripes are made of both white and yellow paint. Edges are commonly painted white. It is expensive to maintain such highway markings. Relatively thin surface blocks of durable characteristics can be made in the desired colors inexpensively enough for use in connection with highway markings. The blocks are to be implanted permanently in the highway. Similarly, floor markings on industrial floors which may be asphalt or the like may also utilize such relatively thin blocks.
Another type of application for the blocks is in the area of industrial flooring. Two types of industrial floors are currently in general use: concrete floors and block floors. Block floors have generally comprised wood blocks laid onto, in the usual case, a concrete sub-floor. Asphalt blocks have also been used.
The choice of using either a concrete floor or a block floor depends upon the usage to which a floor is to be placed. If the floor is to be used mainly for light machinery and light traffic, a concrete or asphalt floor is generally sufficient. However, if heavy machinery and heavy traffic are to be encountered in use, then wood block flooring has in many cases been preferred. There is an intermediate area of usage where the type of flooring has been discretionary depending upon the design attitudes of the industrial engineer or architect.
A concrete floor has some advantages over a wood block floor under certain conditions. Firstly, it is less expensive to maintain provided it does not become damaged by heavy machinery or heavy traffic. Additionally, it is less expensive to use a concrete floor inasmuch as wood block flooring is generally supported on a concrete sub-floor.
Wood block flooring has a number of advantages over a concrete floor. Firstly, wood blocks are easily replaced if the flooring is damaged. Wood blocks are non-dusting whereas concrete, when gouged or crushed, results in dust which may damage machinery and is a nuisance factor to workers. Within a given factory area, it is usually necessary to move machinery about from time to time. Wood block floors are less severely damaged by machinery being slid thereover. Additionally, when a machine is moved, it is generally required to provide ancillary service installation such as in-floor power lines and fluid lines. Wood blocks are easy to remove for installation of such service facilities. The resilience of wood results in foot comfort, noise dampening and vibration dampening. Further, wood is a thermal insulator and thus tends to reduce heating costs.
The present invention provides a filled resinous block in place of the standard wood block. The resinous blocks retain virtually all of the advantages of the wood blocks to a satisfactory extent, such as resiliency, thermal insulation, resistance to dusting and the like, while in addition providing advantages not obtainable with wood blocks.
For example, resinous blocks may be pigmented in different colors to facilitate laying out a floor with, for example, permanent yellow lane lines for defining roadways for vehicular traffic. Colored blocks may also be utilized to define usage areas such as storage areas, fire stations areas, shipping areas and the like. Pigmentation of the blocks results in a permanent pattern. It is necessary to frequently repaint the wood flooring in order to maintain such patterns. Additionally, wood blocks cannot be cleaned readily by washing or scrubbing because greasy and oily material impregnates the wood. It is necessary to use a grinding technique to grind off the top layer of the wood to eliminate the undesirable dirt materials. The resinous blocks of the present invention may be scrubbed clean by means of conventional scrubbing equipment.
Additionally, wood blocks are subject to expansion upon becoming wet. It is necessary to provide expensive sealing techniques for the cracks between the wood blocks in order to avoid water permeating beneath the blocks and causing undesirable expansion. Even with such techniques, it frequently occurs that water will seep underneath wood blocks and cause bubbling of large areas necessitating replacement of the wood blocks. The grinding-type cleaning technique utilized results in the thickness of the wood blocks gradually diminishing. Thus, when a floor area must be repaired with new wood blocks, the new wood blocks are thicker than the old wood blocks. This frequently requires replacing a much larger area than would be necessary if the blocks maintained substantially their original thickness.
Further, the resinous blocks of the present invention may be provided with roughened surfaces to improve traction on the upper surface and to improve bonding characteristics on the lower surface. Additionally, it is not necessary to seal the cracks between the resinous blocks with a sealant material. It has been found that such cracks or voids may be suitably filled by means of loose sand which is merely swept over a finished surface with the sand falling by gravity into the voids or cracks between adjacent blocks.